


Cooking With Love

by Treekianthia



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Bravely Second Spoilers, Cooking Lessons, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, boy troubles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 01:10:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14989472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treekianthia/pseuds/Treekianthia
Summary: When Magnolia asks Edea to help her cook, Edea agrees at the promise of good food. After Magnolia gets stuck on a recipe, however, Edea attempts to figure out why Magnolia is so obsessed with making her cooking “perfect”. (Fic Archive: 11/28/17)





	Cooking With Love

**Author's Note:**

> The following fic was originally posted to outside sources on 11/28/17. It is being posted here for archival purposes and to help document my progress as a writer. More info on myself and my works can be found on my tumblr blog woodland-knight.

“Teach me how to cook!”

Edea snapped to attention, caught off guard by the sudden shouting. She had been in the middle of reading something when she heard it, but now instead of staring at words, she was staring at the face of a very determined white-haired woman. Magnolia, one of Edea’s travelling companions, stood with her hands firmly placed onto Edea’s bedside and was leaning in a bit too close for comfort. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she had a look on her face that Edea only ever saw when they faced a particularly strong enemy. It seemed that whatever triggered the shouting, it was really important.

“Huh…?” Edea asked in confusion. Though she was fairly certain Magnolia had just asked her to teach her to cook, she didn’t understand why. When it came to their little group, Edea wasn’t the one known for her cooking. Though she  _had_  improved during their travels, even more so in comparison to her last adventure, her dishes were still known for being too strong or too bland. With that being the case, Edea was most definitely not the person Magnolia should be going to for this.

“I need you to teach me how to cook!” Magnolia repeated herself, moving even closer as she did so. Still confused, Edea scooted back to better distance herself from the older woman. She was already uncertain of the request, and she didn’t need Magnolia making her uncomfortable on top of it.

“Uh… Isn’t this something you should be asking Tiz or Yew about?” Edea asked as she placed the journal she had been reading in her lap. “You know they’re better at cooking than I am, and they could probably teach you a lot more than me!”

Still very much determined, Magnolia straightened up. “Non, non, they won’t do! You are the only one who can teach me!” she declared. Edea was even more confused now, and there was still one other thing that didn’t make sense to her.

“What is there that I can teach you? You’re already an  _amazing_ cook!” Edea pointed out, gladly so as well. There was no denying Magnolia’s cooking was fantastic, and she had really proved herself on their travels. Magnolia was not deterred, however, and she was still very much focused on Edea.

“You are the only one who can teach me! You know the best foods of Luxendarc better than anybody else!” she began to explain. “The boys can cook, but they can’t tell the difference between one dish over another! They would be useless!”

“I think Tiz is perfectly capable of telling dishes apart- Yew’s all just taste like garlic- so you’re really better off asking Tiz for help over me,” Edea tried to convince Magnolia. While it was true Edea was a fan of good food and had eaten meals all over the world, it didn’t mean she could cook them! Those meals had been made by trained chefs, while all she really did was throw all of her ingredients together and call it good. At least Tiz had recipes he could follow.

Frowning, Magnolia placed her hand on her cheek. “Ah la vache, maybe I’m not explaining myself well enough…” she muttered before sighing. “I thought that perhaps since you’ve tasted all the best foods of Luxendarc, you could help me recreate them by comparing what I cook to what you remember. You would just be eating my cooking, not the one cooking, so it wouldn’t be that much work for you.”

Edea perked up. “So you’re saying all you want me to do is eat food and tell you how to fix it?” she asked. That was an idea that Edea liked the sound of, and she wouldn’t have any problems if that were the case.

“Oíu, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” Magnolia told her. “I promise they won’t be big portions either, since I know you don’t like eating too much late into the night.”

“I’m in,” Edea said without missing a beat. There was no way that she was going to pass up on Magnolia’s cooking, even if they  _were_  going to be smaller portions. Magnolia, meanwhile, clapped her hands together enthusiastically.

“Merci, Edea! We must get started right away! I already got permission from Monsieur Karl to use the inn’s kitchen, and he said we’ll have everything we need already stocked!” she told Edea as her face beamed with joy. “Ah la vache, I’m so excited! I’m sure that by the time we finish, Yew will-” Magnolia cut herself off before she could finish. By the way her cheeks were turning red, it seemed she hadn’t wanted to let that last part slip.

“So this is about Yew then, is it?” Edea teased before laughing. There was no doubt in Edea’s mind that Magnolia was very much in love with the younger boy, and now it seemed she was determined to win his heart by going through his stomach. It was probably the best method admittedly, knowing how much of a blockhead Yew could be. If Magnolia tried anything else, Yew probably wouldn’t take the hint… Or faint from shock, depending on how extreme she went.

“W-we should hurry before it gets too late!” Magnolia stuttered before pulling on Edea’s arm. Edea nearly lost her balance as she was pulled to her feet and barely managed to keep the journal in her lap from falling to the floor. “Mrgrgr! Magnolia, be more careful!” she began to complain. Before Edea could say more, however, Magnolia was already dragging her down to the kitchen.

By the time night had fallen and dinner had long passed, Magnolia had successfully recreated two of the meals Edea had given her. The first one had been Floral Cherry Cakes that were normally sold on the streets of Florem, and the second had been Roasted Boar Leg that was found all over the region of Eisenburg. While the first recipe had gone smoothly, the second required a second attempt due to an interruption from the boys. When they had smelled the food from the other end of the inn, they had come to see what the girls were cooking. Magnolia had been determined to keep Yew out of the kitchen, however, so Edea managed to get them to stay away with the promise of being allowed to eat some of the boar leg later.

When the boys were well fed and asleep, Magnolia began her work on the final dish for the night: Harenian-styled curry normally sold in a small restaurant right outside of Eternia’s capital city. This recipe was proving to be a bit of a struggle for Magnolia, however, and by the time the clock struck 11pm, Magnolia was on her fifth attempt of recreating it. The previous attempts had ended with one or two mistakes- the vegetables being too mushy, the meat being too tough, or the rice being undercooked- but Magnolia was determined to get it right. She had told Edea that she wanted to be in bed by midnight, and based on the time, Magnolia would only be able to make one more attempt. Hopefully it was a good one, or else Edea would get stuck eating nothing but curry for at least another day.

“A pinch of salt… Exactly one tablespoon of curry powder…” Magnolia mumbled to herself as she carefully measured out each and every ingredient. Edea was finishing up the last batch Magnolia had made, which had been a bit on the bland side, and she was starting to feel a bit full.

“Try a little less cumin and more garlic this time,” Edea suggested before taking one last bite. She caught a small whiff of spice with that one, but it was nowhere near the spiciest it could be. Some people really liked packing it on at the small restaurant, and she knew at least one person who asked they make it as spicy as possible… Admittedly, he was the reason she had put this recipe on the list in the first place.

“Ah la vache, this is so difficult!” Magnolia complained before turning towards Edea and leaning against the countertop. “I was expecting as much, but the first two went so smoothly I was confident I would get this one right too!”

Edea nodded as she pushed her now empty plate away. “I was definitely surprised by how fast you got the cakes down, especially knowing how hard the texture is to get, and your second attempt at the boar legs was flawless!” she admitted as she stretched her arms back. “If I were to be honest, your versions probably tasted even better than the originals!”

Magnolia huffed and brushed her hands on the apron Karl had been nice enough to provide her with. “Yet I still can’t get this curry right,” she said before sighing. Edea could see Magnolia wasn’t taking her failures very well, and she was starting to feel a bit bad.

“Hey, don’t feel bad!” Edea told her. “Even if you can’t get  _their_  version of the curry right, your version is still pretty good! I wouldn’t have eaten four plates of it if it wasn’t!”

Magnolia frowned. “But even you can admit that there was something wrong each time I made it. First it was the rice, then the meat, followed by the vegetables,” she pointed out to Edea. “And... What was wrong this time?”

“It was a bit bland,” Edea responded before realizing it might make Magnolia feel worse. “B-but it still tasted pretty good as it is!” she tried to add on to give Magnolia a bit of encouragement. It didn’t seem to work though, as Magnolia sighed again and slowly went back to work on the current batch of curry she was making.

“Then I need to keep trying,” she said as she placed some of the ingredients into a bowl. “If I keep trying, then I’m bound to make it perfectly eventually, aren’t I?”

Edea shrugged. “I mean, yeah, but don’t you think it might be better for you to take a break?” she suggested. “You could always try again tomorrow after you’ve gotten some more rest. I’m even getting sleepy myself.”

“I’ll pass, but you’re free to go to bed,” Magnolia said without bothering to look back. She sounded serious, but Edea couldn’t tell if it was because Magnolia was focused or annoyed. She chose to go with the former.

“I think your cooking tastes great, Magnolia! You really don’t need to stay up all night trying to get it to taste right,” Edea tried to encourage. Magnolia’s cooking was pretty damn good if Edea had to say so herself, and she was sure her stomach agreed.

“But you’ll eat anything that anyone puts on a plate, won’t you?” Magnolia asked as she slowly mixed the contents of her bowl. Edea felt her cheeks go red with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance, and she was admittedly a bit offended.

“T-that doesn’t mean I don’t know a good meal when I taste one!” Edea stuttered. “Besides, you’re the one who asked me to help you!”

Magnolia placed her bowl on the counter and sighed again. “I’m sorry, you’re right,” she apologized. Edea could tell that Magnolia was being sincere, but Edea was still a bit embarrassed by the comment.

“...why do you want it to be perfect anyway?” Edea asked in attempts to move the subject off of her. “Wouldn’t you be better off calling it good and moving on?”

Magnolia turned her attention back to Edea and forced a smile. “It’s simple, Edea! I can only feed Yew the most perfect dishes! If anything is off, it won’t do!” she explained. Edea snorted and shook her head, unsurprised by what she had just heard.

“Of course, it’s all coming back to Yew!” Edea exclaimed. “You really need to stop letting him control your life so much!”

Magnolia blinked. “What do you mean?” she asked, almost innocently so, and Edea had to resist the urge to put her hand on her face. How could Magnolia be so oblivious! It was obvious to Edea and everybody else that Magnolia did whatever Yew wanted her to, or whatever got her on his good side. She should really do something for herself for once!

“Look, we both know you only do half the things you do because you think it’ll make Yew like you,” Edea pointed out. “You should be doing things for yourself, not to get a 19-year-old nerd to fall in love with you! There’s so many things you could be doing other than pining over him!”

“...I see,” Magnolia blankly said in response. Edea realized she might have been a bit too harsh with her words, but she didn’t like watching Magnolia wasting all her time thinking about a boy. Edea honestly didn’t like watching anybody wasting their potential because they were so infatuated with somebody else.

“I mean, why don’t you consider training with me for once? Or spend some time chatting with Altair? Just something that doesn’t involve Yew,” Edea suggested. She felt Magnolia would benefit a lot from getting Yew off her mind, even if it was just for a day or two, and Edea didn’t mind helping. Perhaps the two of them could go shopping together! Edea wanted to get a few new skirts while in town anyway.

Magnolia, however, didn’t seem fond of Edea’s suggestions. She was quiet and avoiding eye contact, and she even looked a bit sad. “...can you keep a secret?” she suddenly asked after a few more moments of silence. Edea wasn’t really sure what was going on, but she figured she should listen.

“Most of the time, yes,” Edea told her. “Unless it’s juicy relationship gossip, then that’s free game. Especially if it’s about Tiz and Agnès!”

Magnolia shook her head. “No, it’s not anything like that,” she began to explain. “It’s just… Back home, I had quite a few suitors. Dozens of them, actually. They were always coming to my family’s home.”

“You did?” Edea asked, partially in disbelief but also out of curiosity. Magnolia didn’t mention her life that much outside of being a Ba’al Buster, and Edea wasn’t sure that Magnolia even had a family. Magnolia didn’t talk about them, so Edea always assumed they weren’t around or something similar.

Magnolia nodded slowly. “Yes, I did. I think almost one-hundred at some point,” she continued explaining. “You see… I come from a very powerful family, and there were many young men, and even a few women, who wanted to marry into it.”

“And since you were part of the family, you received a lot of marriage proposals?” Edea guessed. She would have never thought that Magnolia came from a political background by the way she acted, but then again, some people would never believe Edea was next in line to be Grand Marshal. Perhaps Edea had been too quick to judge her, and there was more to Magnolia than she let on.

Magnolia nodded again. “Yes, that’s exactly it,” she told Edea. “As I was an only child, as soon as I turned 13, smaller, less powerful families were sending their eldest sons to see me. They’d meet me, get to know me, and then they’d eventually propose to me with the most extravagant bouquet of flowers they could afford.”

“And you were only 13 when it started? That’s terrible!” Edea said in disgust. She had received two marriage proposals herself, both from the same person, and even that was enough for her. She couldn’t imagine having to put up with it constantly, especially at such a young age.

“Yes, I despised it! That’s why when I turned 18, I… Left my family’s estate to become a Ba’al Buster,” Magnolia revealed. “It gave me a newfound freedom I hadn’t known before, and it was the happiest that I’d been in years.”

“I can’t blame you for leaving. I would hate having to put up with that,” Edea told her, though she was still curious about one thing that Magnolia had yet to bring up. “What about Yew though? He has to fit in here somehow if you’re telling me all of this. I would have figured you’d pretty much hate romance at this point, but apparently that isn’t the case when it comes to him.”

Magnolia sighed, almost dreamingly. “Oh, Yew…” she said as she smiled a bit. “It’s a bit silly, actually. He was the first person I’ve ever met that gave me a single flower opposed to many. I was so used to being given these extravagant bouquets that when he gave me this magnolia blossom, I guess I assumed it was because he fell in love with me at first sight!” she explained before laughing. “The idea was so magical at the time, I guess I just let it get the better of me!”

Edea smiled back. “I guess that makes sense! It’s kind of like a fairytale when you put it that way,” Edea pointed out. “A Princess gets to know every bachelor in her Kingdom, and each of them ends up proposing… But her real true love is the one who accidentally proposes when they’ve never even met before!”

Magnolia blinked again. “I… Never said I was a princess,” she said in a way that almost sounded like a panic. Edea laughed and shook her head.

“I wasn’t saying you were! It was just what I was using for the analogy!” Edea explained. It was a bit odd to her Magnolia seemed bothered by being called a princess though. Perhaps… It was because Magnolia actually was a princess…?  _Nah,_  Edea didn’t think that was it. She doubted the people of the moon would ever let their princess join the military, especially the person that was most likely the kingdom’s heir.

“Anyway… Do you understand now, Edea?” Magnolia asked her before blushing. “Even if it was just an accident on Yew’s part, I did very much appreciate the gesture… That’s why I don’t have a problem with trying to become his wife. I really… Did fall in love with him after everything we’ve been through.”

Edea laughed again. “Honestly, Magnolia! You have nothing to worry about!” she tried to assure the embarrassed woman. “By the way he acts, if Yew isn’t already head over heels in love with you, I’d be shocked!”

Edea watched as Magnolia’s face turned a deeper shade of red. “Y-you really think that?” Magnolia asked in a way that was more of a stutter. Edea knew that Magnolia could sometimes be oblivious, even more so than Yew, but this was honestly surprising to her.

“Magnolia, Yew was practically begging to get a bite of your cooking earlier, and he always follows you around like a little puppy! You’re also the first person he goes to when he needs something, and I don’t even remember the last time he wasn’t standing next to you in battle!” Edea pointed out. “That boy is so in love with you, I bet you could ask him to wear a dress and he’d do it without a single complaint.”

“Really now…?” Magnolia continued to ask. This time, however, it seemed like she was actually contemplating what Edea had just said. Edea had hopes that it was the first part of the statement Magnolia was contemplating and not the latter, but Edea couldn’t be sure with her. Edea didn’t really want that image in her mind, and tried to steer the subject back to the main point.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for getting on you about him. I understand things a lot better now that you’ve told me everything,” Edea told her. “I think you two could actually be a really cute couple if you talked about how you felt about each other! I mean, it’s probably better you wait until after we stop Anne’s plans, but it could happen!”

Magnolia gave Edea a heartfelt smile, though she still looked a bit somber. “Thank you, Edea. I’m glad to have somebody who finally understands everything I went through,” she said before turning back to look at the bowl she was mixing minutes prior. “Even if I don’t need to cook for Yew, however, I still wish I could get this recipe right.”

Edea watched as Magnolia went back to mixing the bowl. She was surprised that Magnolia still wanted to cook, but Edea figured she didn’t want the food going to waste. Perhaps now that Magnolia had talked things out with Edea, she’d have more success than the last four times! Or perhaps it would be another failure, but this time Magnolia wouldn’t be bothered by it! ...or maybe, there was one other thing going on.

“Hey, Magnolia? Maybe… Maybe the problem isn’t with you being unable to get the recipes right,” Edea started to suggest. “Maybe you’re copying them perfectly, but there’s something that’s making it taste different!”

Magnolia turned back around to look at Edea again. “What do you mean?” she asked as she continued mixing. She looked a bit sleepy, but it was probably because it was getting closer to midnight. Getting up, Edea took the journal she had brought with her and went over to the counter.

“Growing up, before my mother fell ill, she always told me that when she cooked, she always thought of my father and I,” Edea began to explain. “She said that when you think of somebody you love, the food tastes just a tad bit better, and likewise, when you think of somebody you hate, the food tastes worse than it should.”

Curious, Magnolia tilted her head. “What are you trying to say?” Magnolia continued to ask. Edea has personally thought her implications were a tad obvious, but maybe it wasn’t as obvious as she thought… Or Magnolia was still being oblivious.

“Well, you were thinking about Yew when cooking the curry, right? You had just seen him and Tiz, so it would make sense you had him in mind,” Edea continued explaining. “Besides, we both know you were doing this to get him to like you!”

“While that is true, that doesn’t explain why the first two ended with success” Magnolia pointed out. Edea shook her head, however, as she had already figured out how to explain that as well.

“When you were making the cakes, you were just thinking about getting it perfect, not of a specific person. That’s why it ended up working out so well in your favor. As for the boar, you messed up the first time because the boys were bothering you, so you had them on your mind. Once you managed to forget about them though, you were able to make it perfectly… But then we let them eat some. Yew was really excited to get to eat some of your cooking, so I can only assume that all this time you’ve been thinking about making the curry for him. That’s why it didn’t taste the same to me, because you were making it for  _Yew_ ,” Edea finished explaining. She was certain she had figured everything out by now, and that once Magnolia got Yew off her mind, she’d be able to make the curry flawlessly. From the sounds of it, Magnolia seemed to agree.

“Then I have to finish this attempt then!” Magnolia said as she began to show the same determination she had earlier. The somber look she had on her face was gone now, and she seemed like a completely new person. “One more attempt, and then we’ll go to bed!”

“I think I have enough room in my stomach for one more plate of curry,” Edea mentioned before giggling a bit. Magnolia, however, wagged her finger at Edea and raised her eyebrows.

“Non, non, Edea! You won’t be eating this batch!” Magnolia told her. “You’re going to help me cook, and we’re giving it to the boys in the morning!”

“What!?” Edea asked in surprise. This entire time Magnolia had told her she didn’t have to cook, and now when it mattered the most, she wanted Edea to help? She thought Magnolia was trying to make it perfect, not ruin it!

Magnolia winked. “If I’m too busy thinking about Yew, then somebody who isn’t thinking about the person they’re cooking for should balance it out!” she suggested. Edea knew Magnolia was right, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about all the ways she could ruin it. It didn’t seem like Magnolia was going to let her out of this one though, as she handed her the bowl to keep mixing.

“Okay, okay, I’ll help,” Edea said as she attempted to place the journal down without dropping the bowl. “Just don’t blame me if it doesn’t come out any good and the boys hate it.”

A few minutes after midnight, the girls were finishing up the final batch. Edea had been in charge of mixing the ingredients, while Magnolia had taken care of everything else. From what Edea could see, it looked nearly identical to the plates she would see back home, and they had made it perfectly. The looks weren’t what mattered, however, as it was all about the taste. Grabbing a spoon, Edea went to take a bite.

Her mouth was immediately met with a rush of flames.

“S-spicy, that is way too spicy!” Edea cried out as she searched around the kitchen for some bread or milk. Her mouth was absolutely on fire now, and it was very obvious the two of them had messed up somewhere.

“Ah la vache, and I thought we’d gotten it right this time for sure!” Magnolia complained before sitting down at the table. “I guess we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to try again.”

Finding a loaf of bread, Edea cut herself a slice and shoved a bit into her mouth. “Where could we have gone wrong?” she asked after swallowing. “I swore we had everything measured perfectly!”

“Perhaps it’s just not meant to be? Don’t fret over it though, Edea. I’m sure the two of us can figure it out tomorrow night,” Magnolia told her as she stretched her arms out over the table. “I’m unsure about you, but I’m ready to go to bed.”

“You go ahead and go to bed then. I’ll finish cleaning up here,” Edea said after eating another slice of bread. “I’ll make sure to put the curry in a container so the boys can eat it in the morning.”

Magnolia gasped. “Edea, that is far too cruel! We could never make them eat this!” she said in complete shock. Edea, however, laughed and went over to the plate of overly-spicy food.

“I guess you’re right,” she said as she took the plate over to the trash. “No person should have to ever eat this again… Even if it would be kind of funny.”

“If we did that, neither boy would want to touch our cooking again,” Magnolia told her as she stood back up. “You wouldn’t want to eat Yew’s overly seasoned meals for the rest of our journey, would you?”

Edea shuddered at the thought. “While I can deal with Tiz’s cooking, I don’t think I could survive Yew’s,” she admitted. “I’ll get rid of it, don’t worry. You go back to the room and get some sleep.”

Once Magnolia left, Edea threw the curry away and ate a few more slices of bread. The burning in her mouth was mostly gone, but she ate one more slice for good measure. She still couldn’t really understand what had caused the curry to be so spicy, but a failure was a failure. They’d just have to try again another time when the boys weren’t there to bother them. Finishing the last of her bread, Edea walked over to the counter to grab the journal and head to bed herself.

_...the journal._

“Ugh, I’m such an idiot!” Edea cried out as she leaned her head back. Of course the food came out spicy! The journal had been with her this entire time, and they were cooking a meal that  _he_  always ordered and had made spicier than normal! Of course she’d want to make it that way, since only  _he_  would ever eat something that spicy. The stupid idiot was still managing to ruin everything even when he wasn’t around!

And of course she’d try to cook with Ringabel on her mind.  _Of course she would._

It was frustrating to say the least, but… She could admit it was a bit nice. She had never cooked with a specific person in mind before, and even if the attempt did turn out terribly on Magnolia’s end, perhaps it was a success on Edea’s. Granted, Magnolia had been the one to do most of the work, but she still had something to do with it! Maybe one day, Edea would get Magnolia to return the favor and have Magnolia help her cook, and then both Ringabel and Yew would get to eat something made just for them. That was if Ringabel ever returned, however…

Shaking her head to drive her thoughts away, Edea grabbed the journal and headed for the door. She was done thinking about boys and cooking and any sort of domestic stuff; it wasn’t like her to do that… Maybe Magnolia was rubbing off on her? Whatever it was, Edea would figure it out later. She reached for the lights and dimmed them all before making her way out to the hall and off to her room.

The hall was a bit dark, and she had a hard time seeing where she was going. She had to be careful to make her way through without bumping into anything, but she was having some difficulty. Maybe she should have had Magnolia wait so the two of them could make their way back together. It was too late now though, and Edea had to feel her way to and up the stairs. It was a miracle she didn’t trip on her way up.

As she passed the boys’ room, she could hear them snoring. They were both dead asleep, which was probably a result of their full stomachs and the fact it was so late in the night. Thinking back to it, Edea realized that while they had complimented Magnolia’s cooking, they had never thanked her for helping. Perhaps Magnolia really was rubbing off on her, since Edea was a bit peeved her hard work hadn’t been appreciated. Though she didn’t regret helping Magnolia cook, there was definitely one thing she  _was_  regretting at the moment…

_She should have fed them the curry._

**Author's Note:**

> Out of all the fics that I wrote during 2017, I think this one is probably close to being, if not my overall favorite. I remember having a lot of fun with it, and I enjoyed being able to explore a friendship that not many other people really cover. It's also filled with some of my headcanons relating to Magnolia, which I always like writing about.


End file.
